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The number of Louisiana voters classified as inactive more than doubled during a matter of weeks last summer, according to a new analysis from the ACLU of Louisiana that also found the impact fell disproportionately on Black and Democratic voters across nearly every parish in the state. The report, released August 4 and authored by…
A new report from Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute connects Louisiana’s population decline to the state’s deeper failures on public health, maternal care, rural access and economic opportunity. Louisiana is not just losing people. It is losing people while struggling to keep too many of its remaining residents healthy, safe and economically stable. That is the…
A newly released federal watchdog report found serious safety, medical, legal access and use-of-force violations at Winn Correctional Center, a Louisiana facility used to detain immigrants for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report, released June 2, details the findings of an unannounced March 2025 inspection of…
The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais did not merely strike down Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district. It gave Louisiana Republicans a road map to do what they have wanted to do all along: return the state to a congressional map where Black voters, despite making up roughly one-third of the population, have a…
President Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget is not law – yet. Congress still has to pass actual spending bills. But presidential budgets still matter because they show what the White House is trying to protect, what it is willing to cut, and who it expects to absorb the damage. This one is pretty…
State Sen. Royce Duplessis is pitching his Louisiana Voting Rights Act as a state-level backstop at a moment when he says the federal one can no longer be taken for granted. Duplessis’ Senate Bill 365 would create a Louisiana Voting Rights Act, prohibit voter suppression and vote dilution, and establish a Louisiana Voting Rights Commission…
When the Louisiana Legislature gavels in at noon on Monday, March 9, lawmakers will face a crowded slate of prefiled bills that signal where the real policy fights are likely to emerge this spring. With constitutional limits this year preventing the creation of new taxes or increases to existing ones, the focus shifts to other…
At noon on Monday, March 9, lawmakers will gavel in the 2026 Regular Session. They have until June 1 to pass laws, shape state policy, and decide what problems are worth solving — and which ones aren’t. On paper, it’s a 60-day legislative session inside an 85-day window . In reality, it’s a tightly choreographed…
H.R. 1 — the 900-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” now barreling through Congress at President Donald Trump’s urging — has been branded the most sweeping rewrite of federal policy in a generation. Even erstwhile allies such as Elon Musk have blasted it as a “disgusting abomination,” warning that its buried riders pose deeper dangers…
In the latest push to further restrict abortion access in Louisiana, lawmakers have introduced House Bill 575, a sweeping proposal that significantly expands civil liability for abortion-related actions—even those taking place out of state. Filed by Republican Reps. Lauren Ventrella (of Greenwell Springs) and Julie Emerson, the bill would allow a broad group of people…
Two bills moving through the Louisiana Legislature — House Bill 617 and House Bill 624, sponsored by Rep. Kim Carver (R-Covington) and Rep. Stephanie Berault (R-Slidell), respectively — propose a major restructuring of the state’s safety net services, including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Republican proponents argue the…
On Saturday, May 3, East Baton Rouge Parish voters will decide whether to authorize a new property tax to fund the District Attorney’s office. Below is what you need to know before casting your ballot. 1. Ballot Language Shall the 19th Judicial Enforcement District of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the…
A Louisiana House committee has advanced a controversial bill that would require the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) to mark the driver’s licenses and identification cards of lawfully present immigrants with a restriction code, and issue them voting warning notices, despite concerns from advocates and a lone dissenting lawmaker. House Bill 554, authored by Rep….
A recent federal court decision is shining a major spotlight on St. James Parish — and raising big questions about environmental justice across Louisiana, especially for communities near Baton Rouge. The Big News On April 9, 2025, a federal appeals court ruled that a civil rights lawsuit filed by Black residents in St. James Parish…
In a significant rebuke to Governor Jeff Landry’s administration and the entrenched corporate interests that often dominate Louisiana politics, voters soundly rejected all four constitutional amendments proposed in the March 29 election. The results were a clear rejection of far-right policy agendas designed primarily to benefit special interests and political elites at the expense of…
The least controversial amendment on the ballot, Amendment 4, seeks to streamline the process for filling vacant judicial seats, ensuring they are filled at the earliest available election date. Currently, the Louisiana Constitution requires a special election within 12 months of a vacancy, but the new closed primary system could make that difficult. This amendment…
A highly controversial proposal, Amendment 3 would remove current constitutional limits on which felony crimes juveniles can be prosecuted as adults for, allowing the legislature to expand the list without voter approval. Under current law, juveniles can only be tried as adults for 16 violent felony offenses (such as murder, aggravated burglary, and rape). This…
The most complex and far-reaching proposal on the March 29 ballot, Amendment 2, would rewrite Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution, restructuring how the state collects, distributes, and spends tax revenue. With more than 100 pages of changes, the amendment touches nearly every aspect of state taxation—from individual income taxes to sales taxes, property taxes,…
Louisiana voters will soon decide on a constitutional amendment that would grant the Louisiana Supreme Court expanded authority to discipline out-of-state attorneys practicing in the state and allow the legislature to create new specialized courts beyond parish or district boundaries. At face value, the measure appears to address two separate legal concerns—holding non-Louisiana attorneys accountable…
On January 8, 2022, Deaughn Willis was killed by an East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Deputy. Through recovered surveillance footage, you can see these Law Enforcement Professionals approach the Willis Family Door and deliver bang after bang on their door while never saying or acknowledging it was the police. Those officers, without any known warrant to enter the…
